U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson met Monday with Northern Illinois energy experts at Illinois Valley Community College to discuss electrical efficiency development and power transmission issues within her 11th District.

Halvorson quizzed the 10 representatives from Ameren, ComEd, Exelon, the city of Peru, the Illinois Public Energy Association and IVCC faculty members about the growth of wind power and the future of transmission capacity.

"I'm here today to learn from you energy experts about what we in Congress need to do for future efficiency development," Halvorson said. "I'm taking your knowledge back to D.C. to make the right decisions for Illinois and the future of our nation."

The Crete Democrat boasted her district should be "the green capital of the world," pointing to the existing wind farms and hydroelectric generating possibilities along the Illinois River.

As Energy Task Force Co-Chairwoman of the New Democrat Caucus, Halvorson said she has made energy efficiency issues a main focus of her legislative work in Congress.

"I want to help Congress to focus on long-term development of our local and national grid for better distribution and transmission of electrical power," she told the stakeholders.

Jeffrey R. Hettrick, external affairs manager for ComEd from Streator, told Halvorson the current existing transmissions lines in the district were not designed to handle the massive voltage from increasing generating facilities.

"There is certain limit to the lines' capacity. It is not unlimited," Hettrick said. He added that overloading these older lines could cause them to overheat and "melt down."

Halvorson said, "As a member of Congress, we must avoid any negative impacts of the consumer (from uncontrolled growth). We need to avoid unintended consequences for the growth of wind farms when we can't move the power efficiently."